On paper, a filmic marriage between Tsui Hark and King Hu seemed like a good idea. With films like A Touch of Zen, Hu had created the template for the innovative approach to wuxia films that Tsui wanted to employ in the early 1990s. Moreover, Tsui had often said that Hu had been a major … Read more
The Chinese literary classic Journey to the West, written by Ming dynasty author Wu Cheng’en, may be known for its battle scenes and action, but it is religious in nature. One of the ideas behind the novel, which tells of a journey to the “Eastern Heaven” of India to find some Buddhist sutras, is to … Read more
The film was well received by Hong Kong cinema-goers when it was released in 1984. “A real gem of a picture!” enthused the Post reviewer. “In Shanghai Blues, Tsui has created a mixture of Cantonese pop, comedy, poignant romance, slapstick humour laced with music, satire, fresh creativity, artistry and good taste.” Tsui liked it, too … Read more
There they meet the paternally inclined Luke (Simon Yam Tat-wah), a former CIA operative and, with his help, steal a box of gold from a gang boss. As the trio try to make their way back to Hong Kong, with an assortment of gangsters and corrupt soldiers in pursuit, Paul becomes obsessed with the stolen … Read more
Although there were long gaps between the releases, and they varied slightly in style and presentation, the series kept its special flavour and all the movies provided top-notch entertainment. Detective Dee was an actual person – his real name was Di Renjie – and Tsui has said that he enjoyed figuring out ways to apply … Read more
